Believe it or not, given everything that has transpired in Happy Valley since Friday, there’s some on-the-field news in the world of college football that merits at least a little attention.
Starting quarterback Connor Shaw suffered a concussion in South Carolina’s loss to Arkansas Saturday, and his status for this weekend’s game wasn’t expected to be known until somewhere around midweek. With midweek nearly upon us, it appears that status may be resolved in a positive way for the Gamecocks.
Head coach Steve Spurrier said Tuesday that the school’s medical staff has cleared Shaw to return to practice on a limited basis, which GamecockCentral.com describes as light throwing on the side. Spurrier said Shaw “should be [fully] cleared by tomorrow” and, if that’s indeed the case, he is expected to start against Florida Saturday.
“We think Connor’s going to be alright by the middle of the week,” Spurrier said before practice today. “Clint Haggard, our trainer, gave him the test to see how he was doing and he’s been doing very well. Our trainer said that he could pitch it around a little bit today, so he’ll be out there. I don’t know if he’ll be in full gear or not, but he’ll be able to throw it around. He felt fine last night and they held him out, but today he should be able to throw.”
If Shaw suffers a setback and is unable to go against the Gators, redshirt freshman Dylan Thompson would get the start.